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It’s going to be a busy work week for me. As such, I’m planning accordingly. I’ll be using the crock pot and making a couple of casseroles. And honestly, one of my meals is just an idea at this point, I’m not exactly sure how it will work out…

Experimentation is good, it’s part of creating. And creating is one of my favorite things to do. I’ve always felt like a creative person, but I’ve almost always followed my scientific mind. Remember in school how you were either good at math and science or you were good at language arts? I was one of those kids that liked and did well at both. Now, I’m not trying to toot my own horn, but even back in my school days students were tracked: left brain dominate or right brain dominate. I never felt I was one or the other. When Emron was five years old he wanted to be an artist and a super-hero; right brain and left brain. Now, we tend to label our children even more than when I was in school… It’s an interesting aside. And has nothing to do with Menu Monday, but it’s my blog, so I can go stray from topic if I want to.

The photo below is one of my leftover meals from last week. I make leftovers look good, right?

Can you believe that on Wednesday this week we will enter the month of OCTOBER? What the what?!! How was the weekend? Mine was fantastic; had two great workouts, hung out with amazing friends, ate some yummy food, and spent some quality time with the fam. Which, looking back, is pretty great, because my week was sort of crappy. Car didn’t start Monday morning at 4:45 a.m when I was supposed to get to work, Eli threw up several times on Tuesday, worked quite a bit, felt sick on Friday… It was just one thing after another and it made for a long week. So, yeah, I guess a good weekend was in order! And, as a way to end this wonderful weekend, I had sushi for dinner tonight. I know it’s not Paleo. But remember that 85/15 rule I’ve talked up several times… Well, delicious sushi falls into my 15 percent. So there.

Last week generated a lot of leftovers. And my brain hurts. And so, the story goes that this week’s menu Monday is going to be a little boring. You’ve been warned. If you don’t want to continue reading, close the window and walk away. Go do some pull-ups, or push-ups, or something… But, you know what? A plan for the week, albeit a boring plan, is better than no plan at all, and don’t you love this menu template from This Designer Cooks? Here it is:

Sunday: BBQ Chicken, Slaw, Sweet Potato Chips and Corn (not strictly Paleo). I decided to have friends over at the last minute, and I also decided to tighten my death grip on summer, as such BBQ was served with what will probably be the last corn on the cob of the season.

Phew! What a busy week! The training I attended was long and at times painful (one of the workouts they put us through left me with a swollen and tender right knee), but it’s over! Thank goodness for that.

Looking back at last week, keeping it paleo wasn’t terribly difficult. I didn’t follow the menu plan exactly, but I was happy with the food choices I made throughout the week. I’m even happy I took a couple of recovery days during the week, too! I struggle a bit with days off. I want to push myself every day, but I know that it’s my body needs a break every once in a while. So there you have it.

Now, looking forward. This week is another busy one but instead of being trained I will be spending most of my working hours working as a personal trainer! WOOT! I can’t say it enough, I LOVE my job. That’s the rant, nice and short. And here’s the plan for the week:

Tuesday: Eggplant Bolognese. Eggplant was on sale this week and I grabbed a huge one. I’ll use part of it for the Bolognese, the other part I’ll roast and turn into some sort of baba ghanosh. If you need more eggplant ideas here’s one for you, or just ask!

Wednesday: Leftovers, see above. Leftovers get such a bad rap, but the steak and egg dish above was made with leftover steak from the crock pot, a couple of freshly fried eggs and lots of veggies. And I bet you are thinking that it looks pretty dang good! Am I right? Give leftovers a chance…

Friday: Spaghetti Squash Pie with Green Salad. This item was on last week’s menu, too, but when I went to the store they didn’t have any spaghetti squash, so I bought a butternut squash, but as it turned out last week we didn’t eat that either! It’s a big squash week over here!

Saturday: Out for dinner – or leftovers, which ever sounds better.

And that’s the plan. Even if I do not follow the plan perfectly, I love having it down on paper, like really, I have a notebook full of menu plans! I’m just sort of old school that way… I love making my grocery lists based on the menu because I don’t love going to the store every day, I’ve got other things to do! Hope it’s a great week!!

It’s a funny week to start Menu Mondays. I have three days of training for my work which takes me out of the house from 5 in the morning until 6:30 at night. Most likely I be packing breakfast and lunch. And maybe dinner. The game plan involves lots of grilled chicken, salads and portable food. The boys will be fending for themselves…

It’s a good week to keep in mind the beauty of 85/15. Make 85% of your eating choices the best they possibly can be; allow 15% to account for life. And apply the rule over time, not just for one meal. To aim for perfection is to set yourself up for failure; it’s simple. Now, obviously, there are times when you need to be closer to 100% perfection and there are times when you will allow for more than 15% life choices. Nonetheless, keeping the 85/15 rule in mind helps you maintain your sanity.

And that’s it! I’m not going to lie, this training is kind of throwing me off, but again, the 85/15 rule. I can do! Perhaps I’ll be super motivated and post some eating on the go strategies. GOOD IDEA!! I hope you have a wonderful week.